Howay the lads... but where's wor history?

Foreigners who apply to become British citizens will have to swot up on British regional accents, the Church of England and a wide range of cultural information - but not British history.

Details of the new "Britishness test" were revealed by ministers on the day before the examination becomes compulsory to people who apply for naturalisation.

However, candidates will not be tested on British history.

So what do you think about the new 'Britishness test'? Tell us what you think being British is about using the reader comments link at the bottom of the page...

To become British, applicants will have to pay £34 to sit the 45-minute multiple choice exam.

They will have to answer 24 questions in the "Life in the UK" test and answer about 75 per cent correctly to pass, a Home Office spokeswoman said.

Examples of areas which will be tested include:

Where are the Geordie, Cockney, and Scouse dialects spoken?

What are MPs?

What is the Church of England and who is its head?

What is the Queen's official role and what ceremonial duties does she have?

Do many children live in single parent families or step-families?

Candidates who fail the exam will be able to re-take it as many times as they wish.

From tomorrow, the computer-based examination will be available at 90 test centres around the country.

Candidates will not be allowed to refer to the source book for the exam, the Life in the UK Handbook, during the test.

Immigration minister Tony McNulty said: "Becoming a British citizen is a milestone event in an individual's life.

"The measures we are introducing today will help new citizens to gain a greater appreciation of the civic and political dimension of British citizenship and, in particular to understanding the rights and responsibilities that come with the acquisition of British citizenship."

So what do you think about the new 'Britishness test'? Tell us what you think being British is about using the reader comments link below